Member Article

Winners of inaugral Scottish CFO awards revealed

The winners of the 2023 inaugural Scottish Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Awards were announced last night at a celebratory dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, Edinburgh. Leading CFO’s and their teams gathered to celebrate the enterprise, leadership, resilience and all-round excellence across all sectors of the Scottish finance community. The awards spanned 10 categories and were sponsored by Grant Thornton UK LLP, Addleshaw Goddard LLP, FWB Park Brown, and Barclays. The full list of winners include: • CFO of the Year 2023 Turnover up to £50m – Ashleigh Greenan, Chief Financial Officer, Calnex Solutions plc • CFO of the Year 2023 Turnover £50m - £200m - Graeme Gibson, Chief Financial Officer, Edinburgh Airport • CFO of the Year 2023 Turnover over £200m - Gregor Goodwin, Chief Financial Officer, Formerly MB Aerospace • CFO of the Year 2023 of Private Equity Backed Company - Alastair Irvine, Chief Financial Officer, Formerly Howden • CFO of the Year 2023 of Family Owned Business - Alasdair Miller, Group Finance Director, McLaren Packaging Ltd • CFO of the Year 2023 Growth/Scale Up - Andrew Brown, Chief Financial Officer, Ooni Pizza Ovens • CFO of the Year 2023 One to Watch - Lorraine Macdonald, Financial Controller, Young Spirits • CFO of the Year 2023 Deal of the Year - Gregor Goodwin, Chief Financial Officer, Formerly MB Aerospace • CFO of the Year 2023 Sustainability - Carole Cran, Chief Financial Officer, Forth Ports Ltd • Finance Team of the Year 2023 – Aggreko, Barry Fitzsimmons, Group Finance Director & Group Finance Team

Stuart Preston, partner at Grant Thornton UK LLP in Scotland said: “Last night was a fantastic opportunity to gather with some of the country’s finest and celebrate Chief Financial Officers and their teams. We are incredibly proud to have been able to provide the recognition they deserve, and we extend our congratulations to all finalists and winners. Scottish business leaders have shown their determination, agility and resilience whilst navigating some turbulent times.”

Alan Shanks, Head of Scotland at Addleshaw Goddard LLP, said: “Congratulations to everyone who participated in an exceptional first ever Scottish CFO Awards, in particular the eventual winners in each category. The quality and sheer drive of those shortlisted was evident from the submissions the judges had the unenviable task of choosing a winner from – and I know this represents only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the talent playing such a key role at so many of our businesses in Scotland.”

Jamie Grant, managing director of Barclays Corporate Banking in Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be involved in these awards for this the first year, celebrating the talent that we have in the finance community here in Scotland. The judging process was challenging, with many candidates worthy of an award, and last night we celebrated all who are deservedly listed as finalists.” Michael Dickson, Director of FWB said: “We know that Scotland is home tosome exceptional finance talent who help steer companies through a multitude of challenges and opportunities, and these awards are a real opportunity to showcase and celebrate those leading Scottish Businesses. The independent Judges commented on how difficult the decision process was due to the talent and achievements of this year’s nominees and we extend congratulations to all winners and finalists, whom have shown their dedication and commitment to their business and Scotland as a whole. We thoroughly enjoyed the Awards and look forward to working with our co-sponsors to continue to champion and showcase this talent in the years to come.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Robson .